According to multiple reports, Murphy, the Hurricanes’ top defensive prospect who concluded last season in Charlotte, came to the Checkers as a way of alleviating salary cap concerns in Carolina. The 20-year-old was not at Tuesday’s practice at Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trail, further supporting that point.

Murphy’s recall gives Carolina a total of eight defensemen, though it will be without at least one of theirs in Tim Gleason, who is out indefinitely with a concussion. Should Matt Corrente clear waivers after the Hurricanes placed him there Tuesday, the Checkers would also have eight.

Along with Elias Lindholm, the Hurricanes’ most recent first-round draft pick, Murphy is one of three players on Carolina’s roster that does not require waivers to freely pass between the NHL and AHL. Justin Faulk, a former Checkers who has almost certainly played his last AHL game, is the third.